The Greatest Gift

We are picking up in Romans 5:12-21 today. Two weeks ago, we started Romans 5, looking at the first 11 verses. We saw in those verses the gifts God has given to us, to those who have been justified by faith in Jesus.

The Gift of Peace

The Gift of Grace

standing condemned, to standing in grace

The Gift of Boasting in Hope

Assurance of what lies ahead, living in expectation of what is coming though it isn’t here yet

The Gift of Joy

Suffering is not to be endured because it is just what is going to be. A fatalistic attitude is not what we have a Christians. Rather, we know that God uses the sufferings of this life for our good!

The Gifts of Perseverance, Character, and Hope

The Gifts of Love and the Holy Spirit

Today, we are going to pick up the study in Romans 5:12-21 and find the greatest gift.

This passage is a well known and theologically significant passage. That is, it has very important truths that are part of our faith, our beliefs. We will look at the teaching that is found here, but we want to move beyond that significant teaching to see the main point of what the Holy Spirit, through Paul, is trying to communicate to us in its context. Again, the context is communicating the blessings God freely gives us in Christ.

Let’s read through the passage together.

Romans 5:12–21 NIV

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer

All sinned

Romans 5:12 is a very significant verse. It is here that we find the truth that when Adam sinned, we all sinned in him. Being Adam’s descendents, we were literally in him when he sinned, and shared in his sin. This is often called Imputed Sin. Imputed means to lay responsibility or blame, or to credit to someone.

The Bible teaches that our sin is both inhertited and imputed.

We are born sinful because of both of these truths. Ps 51.5

Psalm 51:5 NIV

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Inherited Sin

Genesis 5:3 NIV

When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

1 Peter 1:18 NIV

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,

Our sin nature comes from this.

Imputed Sin

This is what Romans 5.12 is communicating to us.

It is similar to what is described in Hebrews 7.9

Hebrews 7:9–10 NIV

One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

An example from today’s culture:

Ryrie’s Basic Theology B. The Relation Between Adam and the Race

Bill, shared the expenses of a ride home at Christmastime in Joe’s car. On the way another car went through a stop sign and hit Joe’s car broadside. At the time of the accident, Joe was driving and Bill was asleep in the car. Because Bill was seriously and permanently injured, he sued to collect damages from the owner of the other car. But that owner (or his insurance company) tried to prove negligence on Joe’s part. Bill’s attorney wrote to him in part as follows: “… and if the jury finds that he [Joe] was negligent, it will undoubtedly be imputed to you, and you cannot recover. I don’t think that there is anything that we can do to change that situation now.”

What linked Bill to Joe and to Joe’s possible negligence? It was the fact that Bill had shared expenses. Money joined Bill to Joe and to Joe’s actions. Humanity joined all of us to Adam and to Adam’s sin. We all share in Adam’s sin and Adam’s guilt. We are all equally guilty and in need of a remedy for our sin.

Inherited and Imputed Sin

Importance of Imputation

Adam’s sin imputed to his descendents

Our sin imputed to Christ

Christ’s righteousness imputed to us

Romans 5.12 - Adam’s in imputed

1 Peter 2.24 - our sin imputed to Christ

2 Corinthians 5:21 - Christ’s righteousness imputed to us

That is the importance of Romans 5:12 to our faith.

But, what is the Holy Spirit trying to communicate in the context of Romans 5; just this truth, or something greater?

The Aside - Sin and Death have been in the world since Adam

Romans 5:12–14 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.”

What does it mean not charged? It isn’t taken into consideration.

Chuck Swindoll, Grace Awakening, bicycle story

The Contrasts of the Gift and the Sin

Two contrasts: Degree and Consequence

Contrast of Degree

Gift is not like the trespass

Trespass passed to all

Gift overflows to many

Contrast of Consequence

Gift is not like the result of sin

Judgment followed One Sin

Justification followed many sins

Conclusion of the Contrasts

Romans 5:17 NIV

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Death reigned as a result of fate

We who receive God’s abundant provision of Grace and the Gift of Righteousness, choice and personal decision

We will reign in life through Christ!

We live under oppression of sin, corporate, and personal

But through grace and righteousness, we will reign!

discouragement, anger, bitterness from sin of others

sickness and death from sin

temptation

personal sin

John 8.34 -

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

What about me? Am I reigning?